A Guide to Thorin and Company
by vampiregurl458
Summary: Are you reading The Hobbit and/or watching the movie? Are you unable to tell the dwarves apart or remember their names? That's why I'm here! I'm here to decipher Tolkien's majestic characters into ones that are easy to remember and, by the end, you'll be a dwarf expert!
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so I know I wish I had a guide to the dwarves when I read the Hobbit. For those that are still having a hard time and/or want to learn more, I'm here to give you information on Thorin and Company!

First off, here are the names of those in the company:

Thorin

Bofur

Bifur

Balin

Dwalin

Fili

Kili

Oin

Gloin

Nori

Ori

Dori

Bombur

Each chapter will have some info on the dwarf and also a picture.

Maybe I'll even include some chapters as to how to pronounce the names or mnemonic devices to remember them.

Until then,

May the hair on your toes never fall out!

~Skylar


	2. Chapter 2- Thorin Oakenshield

Ah, Thorin. Thorin II Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thrór, King Under the Mountain is the main member of the Company, one could even say royalty.

****Side note- None of the dwarves actually have last names. Thorin was given the name Oakenshield because while fighting at the Battle of Azanulbizar, his shield was broken and he used a piece of an oak tree in it's place.**

Before I start throwing dates at you, here's a quick run-down on how dwarf years work:

Dwarves reach maturity at the age of about 40, whilst humans are believed to reach this at 20.

For a dwarf, it is really hard to tell their age due to the lack of aging once they hit 40. Until about 10 years from a (natural) death, aging occurs. This is _very _different; for humans, you'd be able to tell their age (or at least a rough estimate) as easily as a seventh-grader finding the square root of a number. The oldest human age recorded is 122 years and 164 days. Dwarves, on the other hand, die of natural causes around the age of 250. This, although having eaten 250 birthday cakes would be enough for some, is not _completely _true. Dwalin, as you will later learn, was around 340 during The Hobbit.

The way to convert the ages is still beyond my (surprisingly young) years, but here is a math equation I found:

Let D= dwarf years and H= human years.

Adult: D= ((H-20) * ((250-40) / (70-20))) + 40

= (H * 4.2) - 44

Now, if you are able to decipher that, let me know because it would do a heck of a lot for me!

Anyway, onto Thorin.

Thorin was born in 2746 of the Third Age and died in 2941 of the Third Age due to reasons that I will not openly mention due to spoilers. If you really do want to know, come stop by my inbox and I'll tell you all you need to know!

Thorin is the character that I am most familiar with, most likely due to my love for Richard Armitage. (A/N: Pictures of Thorin and Richard will be on the side!) If I leave anything out about his history to my fellow Tolkien masterminds, PLEASE do not hesitate to shoot me a message and tell me!

Thorin has no children, no spouse. Although there are many girls who would be willing to take a bead **(A/N: I've seen this in a few fanfics. A mithril ring is tied on the end of the female's braid that has inscriptions such as the mark of Durin. More information on mithril rings can be found, as I have heard, in The Lord of the Rings.) **for him, Mr. Oakenshield seems to be more interested in reclaiming his mountain. Who would blame him?

A blood-related family, on the other hand, is something Thorin does have. His father, Thrain, also had two other children, Frerin and Dis. Dis, mother of two, has been mentioned at the end of The Hobbit for being the mother to two dwarves we all know- Fili and Kili.

Thorin's grandfather, Thror, was murdered by the Orc-Leader, Azog, while attempting to reclaim the ancient dwarf realm of Khazad-dum. When Thror's father, Thorin's grandfather, Thrain had an extreme sense to find gold, he was captured Sauron's stronghold of Dol Guldur. That was when Gandalf the Grey, portrayed by the brilliant Sir Ian McKellen, found him. Although Thrain was then unable to name his son or even himself, he gave Gandalf a map of the Lonely Mountains and a key to the secret door for his son.

When Thorin was told about his father's fate, he became the strong and proud King of the Durin's Folk. He resided in the Blue Mountains, where many dwarves also lived, but soon felt like he needed to get revenge and seek out the Lonely Mountains. On his way back from a journey, he met Gandalf the Grey and invited him to his halls. Thorin wanted to get rid of Smaug, the dragon that guards the Lonely Mountain, and so did Gandalf.

Thorin created a group of 13 dwarves- those dwarves being the ones this guide is all about. Gandalf suggested taking Mr. Bilbo Baggins as a burgular. Hobbits were known to be silent and fast and Smaug would not be able to smell him.

**The rest of Thorin's story, my fellow readers, can be found in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. If you are reading this before watching the movie or reading the book, I highly recommend doing on of those. Tolkien's words will come alive and open something in you that will make you wish you were in it. Trust me, readers, you will never regret reading something by this truly brilliant author. Thank you for your time!**

**~Skylar**


	3. Chapter 3- Bofur

Bofur! I love Bofur, but sadly, he is one of the dwarves with a small fanbase. (How is that even possible- just _look _at James Nesbitt!)

Bofur is the brother of Bombur and the cousin of Bifur. Although you won't see it in the movie, he wears a yellow hood. Bofur was indeed a member of the Company, but he is not from Durin's line.

Since Bofur was older than Fili and Kili and younger than Balin whilst on the journey, that would put his age somewhere around 2809 and 2763. **(Information on this statement can be found in the bibliography; that will be the last chapter posted.)**

Now, looking at any biography of Bofur, it can be said that his parents are unknown. That is something that is easily explained; Tolkien definitely focused more on the Baggins, Tooks, and the Line of Durin more than the Dwarves of Khazad-dum.

**-WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS A SPOILER, SCROLL BACK UP TO GET TO THE NEXT CHAPTER/COVER THE SCREEN WITH YOUR HAND/WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO IF YOU ARE READING THE BOOK OR ARE PLANNING ON DOING SO-**

****Bofur does not die on the adventure with the Company and later resides in the Lonely Mountains. His date of death is unknown.


End file.
